Rusty Goffe, who played an Oompa-Loompa in the 1971 film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” alongside Gene Wilder, says he becomes emotional after hearing Wilder’s AI-recreated voice in Netflix’s “Wonka’s The Golden Ticket.” Both outlets report that Goffe described the moment as moving, indicating he “shed a tear” or “got emotional” when he heard the recreated audio.
Netflix uses artificial intelligence to digitally recreate Wilder’s voice for the reality competition series inspired by “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” In coverage, Goffe frames the experience as hearing Wilder’s performance again, while one outlet emphasizes the personal reaction—signing off with Wonka-themed language—after the voice recreation was brought into the show’s production.
The accounts differ mainly in phrasing and emphasis—one focuses on Goffe’s tearful reaction, and the other highlights his emotional response during the series’ production—while agreeing on the core details: the actor’s connection to the original film and the AI recreation of Wilder’s voice for Netflix’s competition.
